Door-latch-opening device



Oct. 19 1926.

R STANLEY DOOR LATCH OPENING DEVICE:

Filed Jan. 30. 1926 .l :1L llll Il L ||J .II ||||||||1||l f/ r |I| 4 IIJ HrlllllillllllA/ l l l r l x l r vullnwnunnuhuhllhllunllnhlxll|...Unl N 4J Ray Sica/32T;

ATTO R N EY Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

UNETED STATES ROY STANLEY, OF CEDARVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

DOOR-LATCH-OPNING DEVICE.

Application filed January 30, 1926. Serial No. 84,804.

This invention relates to attachments for house doors, especially exterior front or main doors thereof, which are provided with the usual form of latch which is withdrawn to enable the door to be opened by partially rotating the door knob or by depressing a finger pad.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an attachment to be applied to such latch mechanism without making any change therein, by means of which the latch may be easily withdrawn and the door consequently opened by a slight foot pressure.

By means of this device the door may be readily opened when the arms of the person desiring to enter are full of bundles, or the hands of the person are occupied in such a manner as to make it impossible for him to open the door by turning the knob by hand without setting the packages or the like down.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designedr These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective outline of a door equipped with the turnable door knob type of latch showing my foot controlled latch operating device applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the exterior latch-box plate showing the operating arm of my attachment applied to the door knob shaft.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the kick plate mounted on the door.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on'the drawings, the latch structure of the door` l includes a horizontal square shaft 2 on which the usual latch operating knob' 3 is mounted.

lli/Iy attachment comprises an arm 4f having a square hole near one end to fit over the shaft 2, said arm being applied by first removing the exterior knob 3 and then replacing said knob after the arm is in place.

Attached to the arm adjacent its outer end is a link 5 of suitable character, to

which is flexibly connected the upper end of a pull-rod or wire 6 which projects outwarcjly to a flexible connection with an eye This eye isrmounted on the outer face of a kick plate S which is attached to or formed as one leaf of a hinge, the other leaf 9 of which is screwed onto the door in vertical alinement with the latch and near the bottom of the door l, and in such a manner that the axis of the hinge lies in a horizontal plane.

The kick plate is disposed so that when the door -and latch are closed said plate projects outwardly from the door at a considerable angle thereto. The arm l preferably projects from the shaft 2 in a direction away from the adjacent door frame so as not to be too close to said frame.

It will therefore be seen that when the plate 8 is engaged by the toe of the shoe of the operator and pressed toward the door the eye 7 will be moved down. This operation of course pulls the rod 6 down also and causes the shaft 2 and arm 4 to be turned to cause the latch to be withdrawn.

Further pressure on the plate then causes the door to be opened sufficiently so that said pressure may then be removed from the plate. Owing to the spring mechanism commonly incorporated with door latch structures the arm 4 and the kick plate will then be automatically returned to their normal positions. A guide sleeve 1.0 for the rod 6 is preferably fixed on the door intermediate the ends of said rod.

If the latch structure is of the type retracted or withdrawn by means of a depressible finger pad, the rod 6 may be attached directly to said pad, as will be evident.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrom may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of theinvention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A door latch operating device including in combination with a turnable member and havingT its axis in a horizontal plane, Whose turning causes the latch to he retractand a pull memher extending between the ed, an arm to he mounted on Said member arm and plate. 10 or knob and extending laterally therefrom, n teetnnolqT whereof I affix my signaa kiek plate to project outwardly from the ture.

door adjacent the bottoni thereof, hinge means for connecting the plate to the door ROY STANLEY. 

